


The Third First Date

by thegirlwhowaited82



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 06:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9706244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlwhowaited82/pseuds/thegirlwhowaited82
Summary: This a little bit of a deleted scene from the episode, The Apprentice, from Season 4a of Once Upon A Time. We saw Emma ask Killian out, and then their date, but what happened in between? This is my take on what might have lead up to that faithful moment when Hook knocks on Emma's parents door and hands her that rose.





	

After watching Emma leave the diner, Killian was still in a bit of disbelief that she had just asked him for a date. Belle had explained to him some of the courting rituals in this world, so he knew what a date was. He had, in fact, been trying to ask Emma on one for quite some time but there was always something to distract her, and though she denied avoiding him, he knew that’s what she was doing. Not that he entirely blamed her, as he understood the walls she had in tightly in place. While he’d made some progress wearing them down, there was definitely still a barrier there that prevented him from getting too close. However, it seemed that maybe, she’d had a slight change of heart and decided to take a leap of faith. 

He couldn’t have been more pleased that she’d asked him for the date, but also that she’d agreed to let him plan it. Not that he didn’t trust her ability to create romance, she was still distracted and worried about this Snow Queen and he wanted her to be able to forget she was The Savior for one night and just enjoy herself. That being said, he knew the first thing he wanted to do before he began planning this evening. He needed to pay a visit to The Crocodile and get his hand back. He wanted to be a whole man for her, and for that he was going to need what rightfully belonged to him back. 

So, he headed to Gold’s Pawn shop and, after coming to an understanding with said Crocodile, he left the shop with something he hadn’t seen in centuries. His left hand. It was far lighter than his hook and as he walked down the street back towards town, he couldn’t help but keep opening and closing his fist, getting used to the feel of having his long missing appendage again.  He knew Swan would be surprised, but he smiled to himself at the possibilities of being about being able safely wrap both arms around her without fear of hurting her. And, should things progress to a more intimate level, he would be able to feel her beauty, soft skin with both hands. Not that he intended to move things any further than she dictated because, as in all things when it came to Emma Swan, he followed her lead. 

He was heading back to his quarters at the bed and breakfast to work on coming up with a plan for the evening when he was stopped by the she wolf, who appeared to taking out the rubbish. 

“So, hot date with Emma tonight, huh?” Ruby asked as tossed the garbage back she carried into the large bin. 

“Aye,” Killian replied a bit sheepishly, “I see that news travels fast in this town.” 

“Wolf hearing,” Ruby smirked. “But it’s about time. She’s been giving off pheromones for weeks now everytime she’s around you. It was starting to make me antsy.” 

Killian just nodded, not quite sure how to respond to that. “Yes, well if you’ll excuse me, I-” 

“Whoa, hold the phone!” Ruby exclaimed and grabbed his new/old left hand. “You got your hand back. I hope you didn’t trade the Dark One something stupid for it.” 

Killian flushed a little. He had, perhaps, made a rather foolish agreement with Rumplestiltskin, but he would worry about that later. All that mattered right now was that he was complete for his Swan. “Never mind,” he said, pulling his hand back. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve a romantic evening to plan.” He moved to head past Ruby and up the back stairs that would lead inside the inn, but he didn’t make it far. 

“You aren’t planning to wear that, are you?” Ruby asked, and he turned to face her. 

He looked down at his clothes before turning back to Ruby. “What’s wrong with this?” He asked. “Swan doesn’t seem to mind, though I suppose I could find a new vest.” 

Ruby rolled her eyes at him. “The pirate thing works in the Enchanted Forest, but if you’re going to take a modern girl on a date, don’t you think you should look more like you belong in her world?” she asked. 

Perhaps the wolf girl  _ did _ have a point. If he was going to stay in this new world with the woman he loved, then it may be a good idea to try and fit in more with what she was accustomed to. Even if it meant some adjustment for him. After all, on their little jaunt to the past Emma had done quite well at adapting to the world he was used. (Whether he liked her more in a corset or her current wardrobe was still up for debate, as both had their advantages.) Though he was certainly planning on behaving better than his older...er...other self had towards her. He was a gentleman, after all. 

“What would you suggest?” he asked. 

“I know just the place,” Ruby grinned. “Let me just tell Granny I’m taking off, and I’ll come with you.” 

Killian didn’t want to change too much, after all, Emma had fallen for the devilishly handsome pirate he was. But, perhaps Miss Lucas was right and a change of attire was in order. If he was going stay in this world, he ought to learn to adapt to its customs and if it meant that Swan would be more persuaded to open her heart to him, he’d do whatever it takes. 

* * *

Emma arrived back at her parents loft after one more patrol around town in her bug, a futile effort to see if she could catch the Snow Queen before her date tonight. When she got there, they were sitting at the kitchen table with Elsa, surrounded by old, heavy books, and searching records for any indication that Elsa’s sister Anna had arrived in Storybrooke. She felt a little guilty about leaving them to this task on their own, but as they were royals back in the Enchanted Forest, she was certain they could handle it. And besides, didn’t The Savior deserve a night off once in awhile? She worked hard for this town, it was the least they could give her.

She said hello, doing her best to get upstairs to her room without too many questions. She knew when her parents found out she was going on a date they were going to flip out. But her mother seemed to know, as she always did, that something was definitely up. 

“You were gone a long time,” Mary Margaret said, looking up from one of the large tomes in front of her. “Everything okay?” 

“Yup,” Emma replied, and gave her mother what she hoped was a convincing smile. “I was just driving around town to make sure I couldn’t find that Snow Queen.”

“By yourself?” Her father asked as he came in from the kitchen, Emma’s baby brother in one arm while giving him a bottle with the other. “I thought we’d agreed to go on patrol together later tonight.” 

Crap. She’d forgotten about that. Guess she was going to have to let the cat out of the bag. “Right, about that,” she began, “do you think maybe we could take the night off? I uh… I kind of have plans.” 

“Plans?” Mary Margaret asked with a questioning face. “What plans, did we miss something?” 

Emma blushed a little and her stomach filled with butterflies. She was too old to feel this excited about a first date, but she couldn’t help it. “Uh, well… I have a date,” she told her parents. 

“A date! With who?” 

“A date! Oh, Emma!” 

Her parents declared at the same time, her mother nearly bursting at the seams already and her father eyeing her with a bit of concern. Oh, this was going to go well. 

“Please don’t make a big deal or anything, but, uh, I have a date with Hook,” she told them. 

“Hook?” David exclaimed his brow furrowing. “He didn’t ask my permission to court you.” 

“Really, dad?” Emma groaned. “Besides, I was the one who asked him out.” 

“Well, I think it’s about time,” Mary Margaret replied with a knowing grin. “And I’m happy that you’re finally letting some of those walls down. Where are you going?” 

Emma shrugged in response, “I’m not sure. He insisted on planning the evening, saying that I only know how to chase monsters and not be romantic.” 

“Well, I still think he should’ve asked me,” David grumbled as he set Neal down in his bassinet before coming to stand beside his wife. “I want you home by midnight, young lady. Nothing good happens after midnight.”

“Midnight? Dad, I’m a grown-up, you can’t give me a curfew.” Emma crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. 

“David, don’t be ridiculous,” Mary Margaret said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s fine, honey. Just, maybe call if you decide to… you know.” She gave Emma a wink and knowing smile, which only made Emma groan again. This wasn’t happening. 

“What do you mean, ‘you know’?” David asked, folding his arms in an exact copy of her his daughter. “Just what you are implying, Mary Margaret?” 

Emma knew where this was going and was not going to have this discussion with her parents. Her sex life (or lack thereof) was not their business and she wasn’t sure where tonight was even going, so there was no point in even going there. 

“Okay,” Emma threw up in her hands in surrender, “You guys can fight about curfews or whatever, but I’m going upstairs to get dressed.” She really needed her own place. And with that, she climbed the stairs up to the loft where her bedroom was. She should have known her parents would blow this out of proportion, but it was no big deal. It was just a date, with a man she was finally opening her heart too. A man who just happened to be Captain Hook. What is her life?    
  


* * *

 

Ruby had taken Hook to the one clothing store in town, and they’d spent at least an hour trying to find an outfit both he and Ruby approved of. He was used to leather, and he gave the lass credit for trying to find him something more appropriate for this world while also choosing something he felt comfortable in. There were times he was sure she was toying with him and made him try on things purely for her entertainment. 

They’d started with basic blue jeans, which Ruby assure him were quite a common thing for men to wear in this realm. He didn’t care at all for the lighter shades of blue, though the darker shades were better. Still, he wasn’t entire sure they were for him. She’d also had him try on something called flannel, which he didn’t mind the feel of, but quickly realized Dave wore it most of the time and he didn’t think that Emma wanted him dressing like her father. (That was sure to lead nowhere fast.) 

They tried on slacks, which he thought were dashing but perhaps a bit unpractical for helping his love chase monsters around town. He hoped their evening wouldn’t be interrupted by any monsters, but one could never be too sure this town. With the Snow Queen already on the loose, no doubt he was going to have a hard enough time getting Emma to relax and just enjoy herself for once. 

But as he stood in the dressing room and slipped a black leather vest over the dark purple shirt with a light floral pattern, he admired his reflection thought that, perhaps, they might have found the perfect thing. He wasn’t sure about the pants, they were a bit tighter than he was used too, but Hook had to admit they did cut his figure quite nicely. Yes indeed, this might just be the very thing. He stepped out from behind the curtain and into the little sitting area where Ruby was waiting for him. 

“Holy wow!” She exclaimed. “You look amazing. I mean, you look amazing in a lot of things, but damn,” she let out a low whistle. “Emma is one lucky girl.” 

Killian couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. “Do you think she’ll like it?” he asked, feeling confident given Ruby’s reaction, but still wanting confirmation. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Ruby replied as she rose from her seat and took a walk around him. “It’s still you, but an updated you. A you for the modern world. Though, I still think something is missing....” She paused and a look of concentration crossed her face as she eyed him critically. After a moment of contemplation her eyes widened and she grinned. “I’ve got it!” 

She dashed off into the store and Killian waited patiently to see what she would return with. He wasn’t waiting long when she returned with a black leather jacket in her hands. “Here, try this,” she said, handing it to him. 

Killian slipped on the jacket and turned to look in the mirror just outside the changing rooms. Ruby was right. It was perfect, and he liked that the coat was slightly reminiscent of his long duster, but clearly more practical for this new world he found himself in. He only hoped that Emma liked it as much as Ruby seemed to.  “You’re right,” he smiled at Ruby’s reflection in the mirror next to his. “Tis perfect. Thank you, lass.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Ruby smiled. “Now, let’s go pay for this stuff and figure out the rest of your night.” 

“Aye,” he agreed. “But, I do hope you can recommend an establishment in town that doesn’t belong to your Grandmother,” he said. “No offense, I’d prefer not to risk the wrath of Prince Charming or a town crier in the form a dwarf alerting us to the next monster’s arrival. I want Emma to forget about all that.” 

“Don’t worry,” Ruby grinned, “I know a place on the edge of town you can take her, and I promise to keep all dwarves at bay for the evening.” 

“I do appreciate all your assistance,” he thanked her. “I wouldn’t have thought of this if you hadn’t suggested it.” 

“No problem” Ruby assured him. “Let’s get going. I wish I could see the look on Emma’s face when she sees you.”

* * *

 

Emma had nearly emptied the entire contents of her closet out on her bed. She had plenty of dresses, most of which hadn’t been worn since she’d arrived in Storybrooke, since chasing after monsters and villains didn’t really lend itself to form fitting dresses. Not to mention that a lot of them were dresses she used either as part of her job to trap a perp or when she felt an itch she needed scratching and went out to find a one night stand. None of those seemed like the right thing to wear on a date with someone she was genuinely starting to open her heart to. But, then again, her normal sweater and jeans weren’t going to cut it either. 

With a frustrated sigh, she went back to the closet for last hope of finding something that was first date worthy. She pushed aside some shirts and jackets and that’s when she saw it. A light pink sundress just hanging there. She’d forgotten all about that one. Reaching in, she pulled it out by the hanger, holding it up. She had bought this dress on a whim not longer after moving to Boston. It was suppose to be a promise of a new life and a new beginning that had never really happened, and so it ended up in the back of her closet, never worn and the tags still on.

Now here she was, living with the parents it had taken her twenty eight years to find, with the son she thought she’d lost for good, and it had taken her a while to accept that she had a family

But it was time for a new beginning, and well… smiling, she pulled the dress off the hanger and went to her dresser to find a pair of scissors to carefully cut the tags off. She undid the zipper on the back, slipped it on, and did a little bit of contorting to get it zipped up. She smoothed the dress out and, looking up, saw her reflection in the full length mirror in the corner. It was perfect. 

Emma then caught site of the time of her alarm clock, and realized she was running late and Hook would be here soon. Taking the simple route, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, touched up her make-up, keeping it natural and light, and slipped on a pair of nude heels before giving herself one more check in the mirror. Her stomach turned with giddy excitement. It had been a long time since she’d been this happy about a first date, and her cheeks already hurt from smiling. 

  
She wasn’t going to let anything ruin tonight. 


End file.
